On the slopes of a volcano in central Mexico, biologist Cuauhtémoc Sáenz-Romero and his team envision a climate refuge for oyamel fir trees and the monarch butterflies that depend on them.

Hatchlings are killed young, to preserve their wings. The trade in rare butterflies—both legal and illegal—spans the planet, from catchers to middlemen to collectors. A catcher on Bacan island ...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Monarch butterflies are gorgeous orange and black insects that make ...

Newly discovered fossils show that moths and butterflies have been on the planet for at least 200 million years. Scientists found fossilised butterfly scales the size of a speck of dust inside ...

With vigorous debate surrounding the health of the monarch butterfly, new research from the University of Georgia may have answered the biggest question plaguing butterfly researchers. Why are the ...

Every autumn, millions, perhaps a billion, butterflies from wide areas of North America return to the site and cluster on small areas of the forest reserve, colouring its trees orange and literally ...

Butterfly and moth wings can be stunningly beautiful. More importantly, some have colourful and elaborate patterns that serve as a defence against hungry predators. There are many butterfly and moth ...

The migration of the monarch butterfly is one of the wonders of the natural world. Each autumn, a new generation of monarch butterflies is born in the northern United States and southern Canada.

Dramatic recent declines in the size of monarch butterfly ( Danaus plexippus ) roosts during fall migration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 2024; 121 (43) DOI: 10.1073/pnas ...

A species of tropical butterfly with unusually expanded brain structures display a fascinating mosaic pattern of neural expansion linked to a cognitive innovation. A species of tropical butterfly ...

For most butterflies, finding a mate to share their short lives with is their most important mission. To meet 'the one' among a swathe of unsuitable or unwilling partners, butterflies must adopt ...